CRM systems 'must be flexible'

All business employees or members of an organization should find a customer relationship management (CRM) system easy to use, it has been suggested.

CRM Buyer columnist Chris Bucholtz observed that it can be particularly frustrating to receive customer feedback that can impact on a business, only to then discover that internal processes are so rigid that it is impossible to "put that information to work".

"If social media are not effectively integrated into marketing, sales and service processes, pearls of wisdom from customers are never strung together to improve things," he added.

Among his five recommended Christmas "gifts" for CRM users, Mr Bucholtz therefore suggested that organizations ensure their CRM systems are easy to use by all who may have cause to do so.

He claimed that people with very different jobs should be able to use the same system while also being able to tailor the interface to their work.